The EM Loop in Prominent Tech Companies

Let’s look at the interview loop structure in some of the top tech companies.

We'll cover the following

Meta#

The Facebook interview loop typically consists of the following:

  • One coding interview
  • One or two design interviews
  • One project deep dive
  • One people management interview
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Dropbox#

Dropbox structures interview questions with a heavy focus on your prior experience leading a team and your role in shaping the technical direction of said team. The typical interview loop consists of the following:

  1. One people management interview
  2. One technical deep dive interview
  3. One execution interview
  4. One manager deep dive interview
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Dropbox interviews are unique in that the deep dive interview focuses on case studies of particular projects you’ve completed in the past.

Google#

The Google leadership interview loop (post phone screen) consists of five to six interviews focusing on the following:

  • Two management (leadership) interviews
  • One or two system design interviews
  • One or two coding interviews
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The leadership interviews consist of people management and project execution-related questions. Special focus is given to cross-functional skills since Google, like other big tech giants, needs people to be savvy in aligning multiple organizations within the company around the same goals.

Amazon#

The Amazon interview loop consists of four to seven interviews. Each interview has a similar format:

  • 5 minutes of introduction
  • 10–20 minutes of behavioral (management) questions

These behavioral questions are based on Amazon’s leadership principles. Each interviewer will focus on a few of these questions.

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  • 20–40 minutes of technical question(s)

These are design interviews meant to gauge your technical depth. There is typically no coding involved.

  • 5 minutes of questions about your qualifications, background, and communication skills

An Introduction to the Interview Loop

EM Loop: Tech Screen (Coding) Interview